Alkylating agent

Alkylating agent, any highly reactive drug that binds to certain chemical groups (phosphate, amino, sulfhydryl, hydroxyl, and imidazole groups) commonly found in nucleic acids and other macromolecules, bringing about changes in the DNA and RNA of cells. Alkylating agents were the first anticancer drugs used, and, despite their hazards, they remain a cornerstone of anticancer therapy. Some examples of alkylating agents are nitrogen mustards (chlorambucil and cyclophosphamide), cisplatin, nitrosoureas (carmustine, lomustine, and semustine), alkylsulfonates (busulfan), ethyleneimines (thiotepa), and triazines (dacarbazine).

The types of molecular changes induced by alkylating agents include cross-linking between strands of DNA and the loss of a basic component (purine) from or the breaking of the nucleic acid. The result is that the nucleic acid will not be replicated. Either the altered DNA will be unable to carry out the functions of the cell, resulting in cell death (cytotoxicity), or the altered DNA will change the cell characteristics, resulting in an altered cell (mutagenic change). This change may result in the ability or tendency to produce cancerous cells (carcinogenicity). Normal cells may also be affected and become cancer cells.

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naturally occurring chemical compound that is capable of being broken down to yield phosphoric acid, sugars, and a mixture of organic bases (purines and pyrimidines). Nucleic acids are the main information-carrying molecules of the cell, and, by directing the process of protein synthesis, they...